An Overview of Child Protection Legislation in England

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

An Overview of Child Protection Legislation in England BRIEFING PAPER Number 6787, 19 February 2020 An overview of child By David Foster protection legislation in England Contents: 1. Children Act 1989 2. Children Act 2004 3. Further information www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library | [email protected] | @commonslibrary 2 An overview of child protection legislation in England Contents Summary 3 1. Children Act 1989 4 1.1 Public law 4 Provision of services for children in need 4 Children suffering significant harm 5 Functions relating to looked after children 6 Emergency protection orders 7 1.2 Private law 7 Section 8 orders 7 Special Guardianship Orders 8 2. Children Act 2004 9 2.1 Background 9 2.2 The Children Act 2004 9 2.3 Children and Social Work Act 2017 10 Safeguarding partners 10 Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panels 11 Child Death Reviews 11 3. Further information 12 3.1 Statutory guidance 12 3.2 Further information 12 Cover page image copyright Free-photos. Licensed under Pixabay licence/image cropped. 3 Commons Library Briefing, 19 February 2020 Summary This briefing gives a very broad overview of the legislative framework for child protection in England. It is intended as a short introduction to some of the key areas, rather than a comprehensive note. Children Act 1989 The current child protection system in England is grounded in the Children Act 1989, as amended. The Act establishes a number of key principles, including • the concept of parental responsibility. • the paramount nature of the child’s welfare when a matter under the Act is before a court. • that children are best looked after by their family unless intervention in family life is essential. The Act places a general duty on local authorities to promote and safeguard the welfare of children in need in their area by providing a range of services appropriate to those children’s needs. It additionally sets out what a local authority must do when it has reasonable cause to suspect that a child in its area is suffering, or is likely to suffer significant harm. Section 31 of the Act sets out the circumstances under which a court may make an order placing a child in the care of the local authority (a care order). When determining whether or not to make such an order, a court must have regard to the ‘welfare checklist’ set out in section 1(3) of the Act. The Act also sets out the functions of local authorities in relation to looked after children, including a duty under section 22(3) to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their care. Children Act 2004 Following Lord Lamming’s inquiry into the murder of Victoria Climbié, the Children Act 2004 made a number of key changes to the child protection framework. Further changes were made by the Children and Social Work Act 2017, which amended the 2004 Act in a number of areas. Among other things, the 2004 Act, as amended: • places a duty on local authorities in England to make arrangements to promote co- operation with key partners and local agencies, with a view to improving the well-being of children in the authority’s area. • places a duty on a range of agencies, including local authorities, the police and health services, to ensure that they consider the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children when carrying out their functions. • establishes the roles and responsibilities of safeguarding partners (the local authority, NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups and the police), which are responsible for determining how safeguarding arrangements should work in their area. Statutory guidance The statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children, sets out how individuals and organisations should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the relevant legislation. It was last updated in July 2018 to reflect changes brought about by the Children and Social Work Act 2017. 4 An overview of child protection legislation in England 1. Children Act 1989 There is no single piece of legislation, but “rather a myriad of laws and guidance”, that are relevant to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in England.1 This briefing gives a very broad overview of this legislative framework. It should not be taken to be a comprehensive guide, but rather a short introduction to some of the key areas. A number of other Library briefings, referenced below, provide more detailed information on specific areas. 1.1 Public law The current child protection system in England is grounded in the Children Act 1989, which establishes a number of key principles including: • The paramount nature of the child’s welfare when a matter under the Act is before a court. • The concept of parental responsibility (Library briefing 2827, Children: parental responsibility - what is it and how is it gained and lost (England and Wales), provides more information). • That children are best looked after by their family unless intervention in family life is essential.2 Provision of services for children in need Section 17 of the Act places a general duty on local authorities to promote and safeguard the welfare of children in need in their area by providing a range of services appropriate to those children’s needs. As far as is consistent with this duty, authorities are required to promote the upbringing of children in need by their families. Section 17 defines a child in need as a child who: (a) [is] unlikely to achieve or maintain, or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision…of services by a local authority…; (b) [whose] development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision of such services; or (c) [is] disabled. Under the 1989 Act, local authorities have a duty to take reasonable steps to identify children in need in their area, and are responsible for determining what services should be provided to them.3 The Act specifies the range of services that can be provided.4 1 NSPCC inform, NSPCC factsheet: An introduction to child protection legislation in the UK, May 2012, p1 2 Child protection system in England, NSPCC Learning, last updated 29 November 2019; Department for Education, The Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations Volume 2: care planning, placement and case review, June 2015, p13 3 Children Act 1989, Schedule 2, part 1 4 Children Act 1989, sections 17, 18 and 20, schedule 2, paras 8, 10 5 Commons Library Briefing, 19 February 2020 When deciding what services to provide, local authorities must, as far as is reasonably practicable and consistent with the welfare of the child, give due consideration to the child’s wishes. Under section 29 of the Act, local authorities may charge for providing services to a child in need and their family (but not for advice, guidance or counselling). But they may not charge more than a person “can reasonably be expected to pay” and they cannot charge people if they are in receipt of certain benefits.5 Under section 20 of the Act, local authorities have a duty to provide accommodation to children in need who require it because: • There is no one who has parental responsibility for them; or • They are lost or abandoned; or • The person who has been caring for them is prevented from provided them with suitable accommodation or care or • They have reached 16 and their welfare is “likely to be seriously prejudiced” if they are not provided with accommodation. A child provided with accommodation under section 20 (sometimes referred to as a voluntary arrangement) is a looked after child. Provisions relating to young carers and parent carers in need were inserted into Part 3 of the 1989 Act by the Children and Families Act 2014. They came into force on 1 April 2015. Further information on the provision of services for children in need is available in Library Briefing 7730, Local authority support for children in need (England). Children suffering significant harm Part five of the Children Act 1989 sets out what local authorities should do to protect children at risk of harm. Under section 47 of the Act a local authority must make the necessary enquiries to decide whether it should act to safeguard or promote a child’s welfare where it: • is informed that a child in their area is the subject of an emergency protection order (see below) or is in police protection; or • has “reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found in their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm” Certain bodies (including other local authorities, local housing authorities, and clinical commissioning groups) are under a duty to assist the local authority in conducting enquiries under section 47.6 As when deciding what services to provide under section 17, when deciding what action to take under section 47 of the Children Act local authorities must, as far as is reasonably practicable and consistent with the welfare of the child, give due consideration to the child’s wishes. 5 Children Act 1989, section 29 6 Children Act 1989, section 47(9) 6 An overview of child protection legislation in England Chapter 1 of the Government’s statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children, provides more detail on the process of managing section 47 enquiries. Functions relating to looked after children The functions of local authorities in relation to looked after children are also set out in the 1989 Act, as amended (including by the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and the Children and Young Persons Act 2008).
Recommended publications
  • Human Beings? Reflections on the 70Th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights
    All Human Beings? Reflections on the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights Society of Legal Scholars Centenary Lecture 2018, University of Essex Lady Hale, President of the Supreme Court 2 November 2018 This year we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights – what Eleanor Roosevelt, who chaired the drafting committee, called a Magna Carta for all mankind. The Declaration was non-binding and it took until 1966 to turn it into the binding International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Europeans were well ahead of them in adopting the European Convention on Human Rights in 1950. Of course, these international treaties do not change the law in the United Kingdom. Only Parliament can do that, as it has done with the European Convention, in the Human Rights Act 1998, but only sporadically for the other two. The Universal Declaration opens movingly in article 1: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.’ But do we really mean it? I well remember coming home from responding positively to a fine lecture by Albie Sachs on ‘Do wicked people have human rights?’ to find that our flat had been burgled. It is annoying but of course if the police had caught the burglar he or she would have been entitled to a fair trial and not to be seriously ill-treated in prison. Today I want to concentrate on the relationship between the first and second sentences of article 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Children's Social Care
    5262-Frost FM 3/3/09 4:39 PM Page i Understanding Children’s Social Care 5262-Frost FM 3/3/09 4:39 PM Page ii 5262-Frost FM 3/3/09 4:39 PM Page iii Understanding Children’s Social Care Politics, Policy and Practice Nick Frost and Nigel Parton 5262-Frost FM 3/3/09 4:39 PM Page iv © Nick Frost and Nigel Parton 2009 First published 2009 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be repro- duced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or, in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. SAGE Publications Ltd 1 Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP SAGE Publications Inc. 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area Mathura Road New Delhi 110 044 SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd 33 Pekin Street #02-01 Far East Square Singapore 048763 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008934325 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-4129-2349-1 ISBN 978-1-4129-2350-7 (pbk) Typeset by Cepha Imaging Pvt Ltd Printed in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham, Wiltshire Printed on paper from sustainable resources
    [Show full text]
  • The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020
    THE ADOPTION AND CHILDREN (CORONAVIRUS) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 2020 Statutory instrument 445 Changes to legal protections for children Briefing for Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee Statutory instrument 445 makes around 100 changes in all to 10 sets of children’s social care regulations. Within this, we identify 65 separate removals or dilutions of children’s legal protections (numBered Below). General concerns We are deeply concerned that the Department for Education has made around 100 changes to 10 sets of children’s social care regulations without any public consultation or Parliamentary scrutiny. No evidence or rationale has been produced for individual changes. The Explanatory Memorandum to the Regulations states that it was not possible to comply with the rule which requires relevant instruments to be laid before Parliament for at least 21 days prior to coming into force because “children’s social care resources are already stretched as a result of staffing shortages and an increased demand for services”. The Department for Education also claims to have “consulted informally with the sector who have asked for these changes to be in force as a matter of urgency”. However, organisations said to have been consulted have publicly refuted this on social media – among them the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and the Principal Children and Families Social Worker Network. Many of the changes directly interfere with the human rights of very vulnerable children. The Memorandum’s section on Impact makes no reference to the actual impact on children and outlines that a proper impact assessment has not Been prepared because “the changes are temporary”.
    [Show full text]
  • Following Grenfell: Children's Rights
    Equality and Human Rights Commission Following Grenfell: children’s rights This briefing focuses on children’s rights, including their scope of protection, case law and their relevance to Grenfell. It forms part of a series explaining human rights issues raised by the Grenfell Tower fire: the right to life, adequate and safe housing, inhuman or degrading treatment, equality and non-discrimination, children’s rights and access to justice. What are children’s rights and what is their source in international law? Children’s human rights are protected through the same international treaties that protect the human rights of adults, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The UK Government has signed up to these treaties and is bound by their provisions under international law. The ECHR is binding in domestic law as it is incorporated into our law by the Human Rights Act 1998. There is also an international treaty that applies exclusively to children: the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC is the first international instrument to set out the full set of rights applicable to children. It recognises that children are entitled to special protection and assistance, and that children are rights- bearers in their own right. It is the most widely ratified human rights treaty.1 The CRC became binding for the United Kingdom under international law in 1991. Although the UK Government has neither directly incorporated the CRC into domestic law, nor ratified the third optional protocol to the CRC, which would allow children to bring individual complaints to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the CRC has been interpreted and applied in domestic case law.
    [Show full text]
  • DECISION-MA KING in the CHILD's BEST INTERESTS Legal and Psychological Views of a Child's Best Interests on Parental Separation
    DECISION-MA KING IN THE CHILD'S BEST INTERESTS Legal and psychological views of a child's best interests on parental separation David Matthew Roy Townend LL. B. Sheffield Thesis submitted to the University of Sheffield for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophY' following work undertaken in the Faculty of Submitted, January 1993' To my family, and in memory of Vaughan Bevan 1952 - 1992 ;J Contents. Preface. vi Abstract. viii. List of Cases. x. List of Statutes. xix. Introduction: The Thesis and Its Context 1. Part One: The Law Relating to Separation and Children. 1.1 The statutory requirements: the welfare principle. 15. 1.2 The application of the welfare principle. 42. Part Two: The Institution of Separation Law: The development of out-of-court negotiation. 130. Part Three: The Practice of Separation Law. 3.1 Methodology. 179. 3.2 The Empirical Findings: a. Biographical: experience and training. 191. b. Your role in child custody and accessdisputes. 232. c. Type of client. 254. d. The best interests of the child. 288. 3.3 Conclusions. 343. Part Four: The Psychology of Separation Law. 4.1 The Empirical Findings Concerning Children and Parental Separation. 357. 4.2 Attachment theory: A Definition for the Child's Best Interests? 380. 4.3 The Resolution of Adult Conflict: A Necessary Conclusion. 390. Appendices: A. 1 Preliminary Meetings. 397. A. 2 The Questionnaire. 424. A. 3 Observations. 440. A. 4 Data-tables. 458. Bibliography. V Preface. This work has only been possible because of other people, and I wish to thank them. My interest in this area.
    [Show full text]
  • An Overview of Child Protection Legislation in England
    BRIEFING PAPER Number 6787, 19 February 2020 An overview of child By David Foster protection legislation in England PHOTO REDACTED DUE TO THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR OTHER LEGAL ISSUES Contents: 1. Children Act 1989 2. Children Act 2004 3. Further information www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library | [email protected] | @commonslibrary 2 An overview of child protection legislation in England Contents Summary 3 1. Children Act 1989 4 1.1 Public law 4 Provision of services for children in need 4 Children suffering significant harm 5 Functions relating to looked after children 6 Emergency protection orders 7 1.2 Private law 7 Section 8 orders 7 Special Guardianship Orders 8 2. Children Act 2004 9 2.1 Background 9 2.2 The Children Act 2004 9 2.3 Children and Social Work Act 2017 10 Safeguarding partners 10 Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panels 11 Child Death Reviews 11 3. Further information 12 3.1 Statutory guidance 12 3.2 Further information 12 Cover page image copyright Free-photos. Licensed under Pixabay licence/image cropped. 3 Commons Library Briefing, 19 February 2020 Summary This briefing gives a very broad overview of the legislative framework for child protection in England. It is intended as a short introduction to some of the key areas, rather than a comprehensive note. Children Act 1989 The current child protection system in England is grounded in the Children Act 1989, as amended. The Act establishes a number of key principles, including • the concept of parental responsibility. • the paramount nature of the child’s welfare when a matter under the Act is before a court.
    [Show full text]
  • 20 Years of the Human Rights Act’, September 2018
    Coram Children’s Legal Centre submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry ‘20 years of the Human Rights Act’, September 2018 Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC), part of the Coram group of charities, works in the UK and around the world to protect and promote the rights of children, through the provision of direct legal services; the publication of free legal information; research and policy work; law reform; training; and international consultancy. CCLC has undertaken amicus curiae interventions in a number of significant cases, including in the European Court of Human Rights, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, providing assistance to the court on matters of children’s rights and best interests. 1. Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC) welcomes the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ inquiry into 20 years of the Human Right Act (HRA). The HRA is central to CCLC’s work protecting the rights of children and this submission looks at whether, and how, the HRA has improved children’s individual rights in the UK and future challenges. Improving individual children’s rights in the UK 2. The Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) ‘gives further effect’ to rights and freedoms guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). This means that: The UK must interpret its domestic legislation in a way that is compatible with the ECHR;1 It is unlawful for a public authority to breach a person’s Convention rights (and if they do that interference must be in pursuit of a legitimate aim and be justified as necessary and proportionate measure to take).
    [Show full text]
  • Court Orders
    The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 1 Court Orders £25.75 The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations – Volume 1 – Court Orders Preface Volume 1 of the Children Act Guidance and Regulations, first published in 1991, provides guidance, primarily addressed to local authorities and their staff, about the court-related provisions set out in the Act. Following the Review of the Child Care Proceedings System in England and Wales, published in May 2006, and public consultation on draft guidance between June and September 2007, this revised volume of guidance has been prepared. This replaces the 1991 edition and comes into effect from 1 April 2008. Volume 1 is issued as guidance under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, which requires local authorities, in exercising their social services functions, to act under the general guidance of the Secretary of State. The guidance should be complied with by local authorities when exercising these functions, unless local circumstances indicate exceptional reasons that justify a variation. The guidance is primarily addressed to children services practitioners and front-line managers who, supported by their legal advisers, have particular responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. It is also highly relevant to Directors of Children’s Services and other senior local authority managers, who together oversee the exercise by local authorities of their functions under the Children Act 1989, in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Volume 1 also provides a complete account of the range of court orders set out in the Act, including those that are predominantly used in ‘private law’ proceedings, where local authorities are less often directly involved.
    [Show full text]
  • Legislation and Official Policy Documents
    Published on Eurydice (https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice) The following list sets out the main educational and related legislation referred to in the text. It includes both primary legislation (Public General Acts of the United Kingdom Parliament, 1801 to date) and selected secondary legislation (statutory instruments made under powers of existing Acts of Parliament). Links are included to the full text and explanatory notes (where available) on the UK Legislation website [1], which is provided by The National Archives. Academies Act 2010 [2] (Act of Parliament) Enabled all maintained schools to apply to become an academy and enabled primary and special schools to apply to become an academy in their own right for the first time. Aimed to simplify the process and removed the requirement to consult the local authority. Permitted the Secretary of State to make an order for a school to become an academy if subject to a warning notice or judged to require significant improvement or special measures. Explanatory notes [3] Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 [4] (Act of Parliament) In line with proposals made in the March White Paper Raising Expectations: Enabling the system to deliver [5], put in place underpinning legislation required to deliver the raising of the participation age by the Education and Skills Act 2008. Made provision about apprenticeships, including the issue of apprenticeship certificates, and the issue of apprenticeship frameworks. Transferred responsibility for funding 16 to 19 education and training from the, then, Learning and Skills Council to local authorities. Created the office of Chief Executive of Skills Funding to lead a new demand-led system for adults.
    [Show full text]
  • Children First: the Child Protection System in England
    House of Commons Education Committee Children first: the child protection system in England Fourth Report of Session 2012–13 Volume I Volume I: Report, together with formal minutes Volume II: Oral and written evidence Additional written evidence is contained in Volume III, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/educom Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 30 October 2012 HC 137 Published on 7 November 2012 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £0.00 The Education Committee The Education Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Education and its associated public bodies. Membership at time Report agreed: Mr Graham Stuart MP (Conservative, Beverley & Holderness) (Chair) Neil Carmichael MP (Conservative, Stroud) Alex Cunningham MP (Labour, Stockton North) Bill Esterson MP, (Labour, Sefton Central) Pat Glass MP (Labour, North West Durham) Damian Hinds MP (Conservative, East Hampshire) Charlotte Leslie MP (Conservative, Bristol North West) Siobhain McDonagh MP (Labour, Mitcham and Morden) Ian Mearns MP (Labour, Gateshead) David Ward MP (Liberal Democrat, Bradford East) Craig Whittaker MP (Conservative, Calder Valley) Nic Dakin MP (Labour, Scunthorp), Tessa Munt MP (Liberal Democrat, Wells) and Lisa Nandy MP (Labour, Wigan) were also members of the Committee during the inquiry. Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House.
    [Show full text]
  • Safeguarding Children: Working Together Under the Children Act 2004 G/232/06-07 September ISBN 0 7504 8910 3 CMK-22-12-077 © Crown Copyright 2006 Contents
    Children and Young People: Rights to Action Safeguarding Children: Working Together Under the Children Act 2004 G/232/06-07 September ISBN 0 7504 8910 3 CMK-22-12-077 © Crown copyright 2006 Contents Page Preface Guidance 1 The status and content of this guidance 3 Key definitions and concepts 5 Executive Summary 9 Chapter 1: The Legislative Framework 23 The Children Act 1989 Education Act 1996 Housing Act 1996 Education Act 2002 The Licensing Act 2003 Housing Act 2004 The Children Act 2004 Other legislation Chapter 2: Roles and Responsibilities - Section 28 of the 35 Children Act 2004 Duty to safeguard and promote welfare Framework for making effective arrangements to safeguard and promote children’s welfare Strategic and organisational arrangements Monitoring and inspection of safeguarding and promoting welfare arrangements Arrangements to safeguard and promote children’s welfare in various agencies Local Authorities The National Health Service The Police British Transport Police The National Probation Service Youth Offending Teams Prisons/Juvenile Secure Estate Secure Training Centres Chapter 3: Roles and Responsibilities of the Welsh 99 Assembly Government and Others The Children And Family Court Advisory And Support Service (CAFCASS) The Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales (CSIW) The Children's Commissioner for Wales The armed services The voluntary and private sectors Faith communities The wider community Chapter 4: Local Safeguarding Children Boards 113 Membership Other board members Involvement of other agencies and groups CAFCASS
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights and the Children Act
    Children on the edge of care Human rights and the Children Act Jenny Morris This report concerns three groups of children who have not been accorded the full protection of the Children Act 1989 in terms of either meeting their needs or protecting them from harm. The report examines how local authorities respond to the needs of: unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, disabled children at residential special schools, and children who are privately fostered or who live with relatives rather than their birth parents. It provides a critical analysis of what we know about the circumstances of these groups of children, what their entitlements are under the Children Act, how local authorities respond to their needs and entitlements, and whether recent changes will redress past inadequacies. It concludes that a shortage of resources, and inadequate knowledge about the views and experiences of these three groups of children have resulted in a failure to recognise and promote their human rights. This publication can be provided in alternative formats, such as large print, Braille, audiotape and on disk. Please contact: Communications Department, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Homestead, 40 Water End, York YO30 6WP. Tel: 01904 615905. Email: [email protected] Children on the edge of care Human rights and the Children Act Jenny Morris The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has supported this project as part of its programme of research and innovative development projects, which it hopes will be of value to policy makers, practitioners and service users. The facts presented and views expressed in this report are, however, those of the author and not necessarily those of the Foundation.
    [Show full text]